Relationships between skin-related label expression types in inner beauty products on consumer trust and purchase behavior

Abstract

Background: The inner beauty functional food market has expanded rapidly in Asia, yet the influence of skin-related label expression types on consumer decision-making remains empirically understudied. Most prior research focuses on nutritional labeling in conventional food categories, leaving a gap regarding beauty-health crossover products where skin-efficacy claims serve as the primary consumer interface.

Objective: This study investigated (1) the effect of five label skin expression types on product trust and purchase behavior, and (2) the mediating role of product trust in the relationship between label expression types and purchase behavior among Korean consumers of inner beauty health foods.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 502 Korean adults who had experience consuming inner beauty health foods. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) identified five label expression sub-factors: function-emphasis, result-oriented, science-based, emotional, and visual label credibility. Multiple regression and PROCESS Macro Model 4 mediation analyses were performed using SPSS 28.0.

Results: All five expression types significantly predicted product trust (adjusted R² = .645, F = 182.68, p < .001). Four of five types (function-emphasis, science-based, emotional, and visual label credibility) significantly predicted purchase behavior (adjusted R² = .689, F = 222.81, p < .001). Product trust fully or partially mediated all five label expression–purchase behavior pathways (all 95% CI excluding zero via 5,000-sample bootstrapping).

Conclusion: This study contributes to the functional food labeling literature by empirically examining a five-factor typology of skin-related label expression types in the context of inner beauty health food products. The findings suggest that different label expression strategies may be associated with consumer trust formation and purchase-related responses, with product trust serving as a significant mediating mechanism. These results provide practical implications for future label communication and marketing strategies in the inner beauty health food market.

Novelty of the study: This is the first study to empirically classify and validate a five-factor label skin expression typology for inner beauty functional foods and to demonstrate the mediating pathway from label expression to purchase behavior via product trust.

Keywords: skin-related label expression; inner beauty health food; functional food labeling; product trust; purchase behavior.